The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1887-01-06
OLD VIRGINIA CHRISTMAS.
MENORIES OF TIE HOLIDAY SEASON
IN THE DAYS BEFORE THE WAR.

How the Family Kept Watch for the Day
and How They Enjoyed 1t When I
| Came.
Marion Harland in the Couric,-J ournal)
In the days that are no moro, tho lega
Thanksgiving day was not known il
Virginia. Nor yet New Years day, a
Kept by Knickerbockor burghcrs. The
Iwenty-second of February was cele
brated by college orations; the Fourtl
Oh July given over to political burbccues
Chrlstmas-timo was the reservoir into
which debouched the flush tide of fami
ly, social and national rcjoicings Will
lofty as with lowly, it was watch-towel
set on the hill, the benign light of which
like the flaming sword guarding Eden
flashed every way. Backward rays from,
Christmas gone met and mingled witt
the dawn of Christmas coming. We
began to count the days yet mfulflled
with the reddening of the rock naples.
Inc opening OF the chinquapin burr;
the apple harvest; the fall Of tho leaf
li'Lll W sugar Ill lllC
pulp OF the persimmopS-wcr way
marks, impatiently numbered, in the
procession of months and weeks toward
the eliminating glory of the year.
HousekcepcrS commenced preparations
for it in sober earnest by the last week
of November, especially in the country.
The traditions of our English ancestry
told nightly III modelling our habits of
life.
"CHRISrMAS IN TOWN'
was deprecated with dash OF compas-
sionate contempt by planters and their
families. They kept open houses ut that
season with hCartiness that looks TO us
now like bootlcss cXtravagancc. The
premises were set in order early III De
ccmber as for royal nuptials and court
banqucts. Nlincc-mcat was already
made, moistcned with peach brandy in
quantity and quality sufficient to season
1T against must and mould, then packed
down in huge jars, and bladdcrs tied
over the mouths. With the 1irst hard
frost came ''hog killing" providing
hams, spare ribs, chimes and salsagcs of
dcliciOusness inimitablc, and to those
who never tasted them, unimagimablc.
Pots of lard, ''tricd out" INTO snowy
hardness, were ranged on the Storc-room
shelves, destined to furnish hot baths
for the broods OF summer chickens,
coOped up, and iattcncd on oats and
mush. Pens were built for stately tur-
keys and pompouS MuScovy ducks, and
the tenants fed rs regularly and bOunti-
fully as were the children who hoped 70
cat them. Later on, came cake maxine,
never intrustCd to the hand OF hirclingS
fruit cake, with Just enough ii0u
wrought into it to hold together the lat
and liberal soul; pound cake, iItu whose
manufacture sixteen ounces of each iu-
Srcdicnt was rightcously compounded
ginger cakes, warranted TO keep for
months; spice and lemon cakes, and, i'll
the last days of Joyous activity, sponge
cake, nodded and frosted into snow balls
rs big rs the fist, and owing their buoy
ant being to eggs and clbow-powcr, with
not SO much rs dust of baking DOW
dcrs. English plum pudding was not
made i'll every family. On the threshold
of this cmprisc, diitidcnt housewives and
case-loving cooks paused, drcading and
daunted. Only veteran divers, plumging.
into the depths Of ancestral recipes,
brought up success and established n
culinary reputation vauntcd by children
and children's children As December
nights grew toward their longest and
December days ncared the briefcst of
the calendar, feather-bcds were beaten
for ten minutes each, by the tIail-likc
arms OF cOlOred housGmaids, under the
eye of the mistress or her fuctotum, and
provision of blankets, sheets, ttc., made
for temporary slcoping-places. On Il
RAINY or snowy day, an armiul OF straw,
fastened to the end of n pole, WAS thrust
up the throat OF every chimney to burn
out the encrusting SCOT Hens, melted
to the full measure of their duty by arts
peculiar to colorcd poultry keepers,
yielded eggs by the hundreds for pud-
dlngs and pies, with especial reserves for
egg-nog.
BY CHRISTMAS EVE
every pantry was packed to groaninp;
comets Of flame and galaxy of sparks
strcamcd from the kitchen chimney
every eligible nook held bed; IL dozen
young girls with attendant gallants sur
rounded the drawing room fire; the
play of reparteo and compliment, and
the ripple of light laughter rose and
ebbcd to the piano accompaniment re-
sponslve to the sweep Of white fingers.
City guests were always biddcm and al
ways came to the plantation Christmas
frolic. "Company" was no trouble;
hospitality was as natural and easy as
breathing. But the holiday reception
was the cream Of welcome to the visitor.
If eight bachelors slept and smoked in
the Office" i'll the yard, and as many
giTls occupied the one spare chamber Of
the homestead, nobody felt crowded.
There were plenty of feather beds and
blankets, great store of linen hcirlooms
that required the wear of two genera
tlons to make them thin, and big fires
burning all NIGHT in CNrl.Y nnnrinnnnt rnr